As much as I like shopping at Trader Joes, Cost Plus, Bevmo and Sam's Club for great bargains... I've yet to locate that "favorite wine store" to get the connection.

Anyone heard of Secret Cellars in Roseville? I gave a call today to find out about their wine tastings, and he took down my e-mail address to send me the dates. I quick quizzed to see if they had hard to gets, and he said that he had some Loring Gary's and mentioned some others as well. (I think he said Red ... maybe from Roar?)

Went to Secret Cellars last night. Nice place. Back side of the shop has a wine bar. The owner's wife let us sample about 6 different wines. They also had a table with hor d'ourves- bread sticks, chocolates, cheeses, etc.

CG, if I had to choose only one shop in this area, it would be Costco. Looks like you have one there in Sacramento.... if you're not already a member, highly recommend you join. Beats Sam's Club, Cost Plus and other such stores hands-down for both price (max 14% margin) and selection. But if you join, you'll need to get in the habit of visiting at least twice each week, as the good stuff can sell out quickly.

Have you visited your Whole Foods yet? If so, how was their selection? I've often wondered if the store by me is good because the wine folks there are good, or if it is that Whole Foods in general have good selections.

dananne- no, haven't made it to the Whole Foods. Actually, I wouldn't even consider visiting the Arden/Sacramento area this time of year unless I have to. The clientle isn't quite what it used to be.
It's about a 15-20 mile drive on a grid-locked freeway. I figured on waiting until after the New Year.

The Whole Foods chain has an approved list of wines that each store buyer can choose from. So if you get to know the wine buyer for that particular store, you can often get access to a really large selection not sitting on the shelf!